Hurts Donut Co. in Middleton announces immediate closing

Hurts Donut Co. in Middleton has closed, according to a Facebook post.

Hurts specializes in oversized speciality donuts and has about 20 stores throughout the country. The Middleton location was operating under the ownership of Janelle Wilks, who had the dream of opening a Hurts shop as early as 2016. Shortly after, Wilks was diagnosed with breast cancer and would have to put the idea on the back-burner. Hurts writes on Facebook that “after 16 rounds of chemo, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery,” Wilks and her family revisited the dream and they took over ownership of the Middleton Hurts store in June 2020. The location was originally opened in 2016 under different ownership.

The closure announcement cites the return of Wilks’ cancer and describes it as a “tough decision,” but it will allow the family to prioritize health. Before the announcement, Hurts had received seven health code violations in March, according to a recent report from the Wisconsin State Journal.